Sunday, November 23, 2008

Optical Computers Take Over the World?

What of optical computers?

It is evident that optical computers will replace electronic computers in the near future. But why? The reason is quite simple. According to Moore's Law, the number of transistors in a computer chip doubles every 18 months. Unfortunately, this doubling cannot be sustained forever. Therefore, traditional transistors can no longer keep up. Moreover, it was found that metallic wires limit the speed of the transmission. "Resistance per unit length in the chip is being increased, causing more power usage and excess heating." This is not the case with optical computers.

What will optical computers replace?

Simple. They will replace silicon computers. As mentioned above, in the case of optical computers light beams can pass through one another, making possible three-dimensional microprocessors. (see image) It has been said that these computers would be the size of a car. Not very handy for personal use at home! Moreover, we have also seen that the standard trackball mouse has been replaced with the optical mouse.